This grant provides partial funding of a site plan and facility design for the construction of a 12,000 square-foot food technology, training and manufacturing center. Blue Ridge Food Ventures (BRFV) is the South’s largest shared-use food processing facility and food business incubator. BRFV provides statewide technical assistance to hundreds of small food entrepreneurs and access to infrastructure for about 50 small-scale food, cosmetic, and natural products businesses employing over 45 full-time jobs, and with over $3.5 million per year in value of goods sold.